The Director of Strategic Partnerships will present Document “L”, a highlight report on the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England  funding for children who are Looked After service aspect of CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)

Recommended -

The Panel is asked to note the contents of Document “L” for information. 

(Sasha Bhat – sasha.bhat@bradford.nhs.uk)

The Director of Strategic Partnerships presented Document “L”, a highlight report on the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England  funding for children who are Looked After service aspect of CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service).

The Head of Commissioning Mental Wellbeing was present and with the invitation of the Chair, introduced the report to the Panel. She explained that the Specialist Team consisted of dedicated, highly trained therapists who worked with looked after, adopted and Special Guardianship Order children within the NHS Trust Boundaries of Bradford, Airedale, Craven, and Wharfedale. There had been a reduction in provision since July 2018, when the Local Authority Therapeutic Social Workers had been redeployed from the team.  Since then the team had been working to redesign their model of delivery.

The following question and answer session ensued –

·         Was there any information in terms of detailed specifics of the number of various teams in the service area, gaps with teams and vacancies across the health sector that provided services to looked after children?

o   There were vacancies across the board. There had been an increase of looked after children from 851 to 1244 due to large sibling families being taken into care. To accommodate the increase of children, an additional 4 nurses had been employed. There was a requirement of a further 0.6% of Paediatricians in order to efficiently commence with initial health assessments of looked after children. Other related detailed information for services within the health sector for looked after children were not at hand at present;

·         Was the increase of children a national trend?

o   Bradford was unique to the extent of having one of the largest young people populations in the country;

·         Why were health assessments required to be undertaken by special teams?

o   It was a legal requirement for all children or young people who are looked after by the local authority will have their health and wellbeing supported during their time in care. In order to achieve this, assessments have to be undertaken by professionals to ensure that all of a child’s health needs were being met;

·         Due to becoming of age when a child leaves looked after services, what is the protocol involved?

o   A Consultant and a key worker would be involved with a handover to adult services;

·         Who was lead on referrals?

o   Anyone who worked with a child and identified needs however the Care Trust should have a process in place;

·         How strong were support networks between services?

o   Supporting networks were crucial and boundaries were continuing to be pushed in opening new supporting routes for the sake of providing essential services for looked after children;

·         How were introduction pathways to looked after services operating at present?

o   This involved statutory ground level services such as schools, GP surgeries, community centres and Councillors were also another point of contact within communities;

·         What kind of issues did children arrive with?

o   On occasions, health issues. Two thirds of children in the care had health issues and some even required therapeutic therapy towards their mental health issues; and,

·         Where did Dentists come in within the process?

o   This was a service commissioned by NHS England and should be an accessible provision for children in care.

Resolved –

(1)       That the contents of Document “L” be welcomed.

(2)       That following the service review of CAMHS, a report be   presented to this Committee in March 2019 detailing information          on the progress made from the outcome of the review and the      plans that followed.

(3)       That for the avoidance of unnecessary delays for Social Workers         to get             looked after children to the correct health and wellbeing     services, improvements be made on publicising clear referral            pathways.

(4)       That consideration be given to prioritising the transition of overall        health assessments and to identify the key end aim for a looked   after child.

ACTION: Director of Strategic Partnerships